Rodney Lenthall appointed to PLA Board

New PLA Board member Rodney Lenthall

Rodney Lenthall has been appointed to the Board of the Port of London Authority (PLA) with effect from 1 January 2009.

Mr Lenthall has had a lifetime career in the shipping industry having initially been at sea with the British & Commonwealth Group followed by command of vessels within the Ocean Inchcape fleet in the North Sea. On coming ashore, he subsequently became chief executive of OIL Ltd, chairman of Cory Towage Ltd, and, ultimately, a main board director of its parent company, Ocean Group PLC. On leaving Ocean Group in 1998, Mr Lenthall has been involved in a number of maritime related businesses and his current directorships include The Shipowners P&I Association (Luxembourg) and the oil and gas logistics company, ASCO Logistics.

A keen sailor, Rodney Lenthall is a member of the Company of Master Mariners, founder member and fellow of the Nautical Institute, a liveryman of the Company of Shipwrights and a governor of the London Nautical School.

PLA Chairman, Simon Sherrard, commented:

"Rodney will bring to the PLA Board considerable experience of marine matters, skills essential to us in fulfilling our prime role as the navigational safety authority for the tidal River Thames. His sea time and subsequent management responsibilities have involved him in a number of key aspects of the PLA's work including operations, pilotage and port management.

"Rodney will succeed Peter Mole who retires at the end of the year, having been a member for the last six years. We are grateful to him for the valuable contribution he has made and, in particular, the work that he has undertaken together with our pilotage team in enhancing the pilotage service within the port."

Notes to Editors:

The Port of London Authority (PLA) is responsible for navigational safety and related matters on 150km (95 miles) of the tidal Thames from the sea to Teddington in west London.

The PLA provides navigational, pilotage and other services for users of the Thames

London is one of the top three ports in the UK and handles over 50 million tonnes of cargo each year.

The Port comprises over 70 independently owned and operated terminals and port facilities at different locations on the Thames. These handle a wide range of cargoes.

London also has a busy passenger boat trade for tourists and commuters and is a popular destination for international passenger cruise ships. The tidal Thames is also used widely by those with small recreational craft of many types.